John Buck & The Blazers

John Buck is actually singer, composer, music publisher, and Valiant Records owner Barry de Vorzon, who was lead singer on "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight," the only hit by the New York-based Barry & the Tamerlanes in 1963. The John Buck saga began in the late '50s when the U.S. label Cadence Records released a de Vorzon composition called "Chi Chi." The tune went nowhere, and was subsequently reissued by Warner Bros. and credited to Kalasandro, and again the record went nowhere. It was issued a third time, however, in Germany, in 1959 under the name John Buck & the Blazers, and became a huge hit there. Follow-ups under the John Buck name in Germany were actually recorded by Horst Wendt, so "Chi Chi" remains an odd little one-hit wonder story. De Vorzon went on to carve out a successful career as a producer and composer. Bear Family Records issued Chi Chi in 2008, which compiled the complete recordings that appeared under the John Buck moniker, including the ones by Wendt, and it will undoubtedly remain the last word on the subject. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi